+ During the 1910s and 1920s, many South African films were made in or around Durban. These films often made use of the dramatic scenery available in rural KwaZulu-Natal, particularly the Drakensberg region.

+ KwaZulu-Natal was also served as the appropriate location for historical films such as De Voortrekkers (1916) and The Symbol of Sacrifice (1918)

+ Sarie Marais, the first Afrikaans-language sound film, was released in 1931. Subsequent sound releases such as Die Wildsboudjie(1948), a 1949 Sarie Marais remake, and Daar doer in die bosveld (1950) continued to cater primarily to white, Afrikaans-speaking audiences.

+ The 1950s saw an increased use of South African locations and talent by international filmmakers. British co-productions like Coast of Skeletons (1956) and American co-productions like The Cape Town Affair (1957) reflected the a growing trend of shooting in real locations, rather than using backlots.

Filmed in 1988 on 16mm, this 70 minute action film will keep you on your toes! Directed by Tonie vd Merwe and produced by Oubaas Olivier, the cast includes Hector Mathanda, Popo Gumede, Kay Magubane & Ngebo Zungo. Catch it on Sunday night at 8:30pm on SABC1

TAGLINE:

A young Game Ranger will have to track a dangerous group of army deserters in a desperate attempt to rescue his kidnapped wife and son.

SYNOPSIS:

A young Game Ranger lives with his wife and son a large game farm bordering a neighbouring country.

Early one morning, only a few kilometres away, a gang of army deserters cross the border to loot, steal and poach whatever they can find. As the Ranger bids his family farewell and heads out on patrol, his son leaves for school.

While on his way, the young boy has a run-in with one of the deserters. He manages to escape, or so he thinks, and flees back home. The boy informs his mother of the events, and together they try to reach the Ranger via radio. But the deserters have followed the boy home.

Mother and son are kidnapped and the gang of deserters head back across the border. The father, calling in his Assistant Ranger, tracks the gang through the treacherous landscape back to their hidden base. The odds are stacked against him, but it is here that he launches a desperate attack on the hide-out in an effort to defeat the gang and rescue his wife and son.